I don’t know if I’ve mentioned my deep and abiding love for beer on this blog yet. I was introduced to craft brew several years ago and fell head-over-heels, to the point where I did a bit of homebrewing in my Santa Monica kitchen before moving to Paris.

Imagine my disappointment when I arrived in France and couldn’t for the life of me find any decent brews. Sure, there were a couple of imports from Belgium at the grocery store, and a few specialty beer shops, but at most restaurants and bars it was the French equivalent of Bud, Miller, and Coors. Shudder.

But to my delight, craft beer has been starting to get a foothold in Paris, partly due to the efforts of people like the folks who put on the Sunday Beer Lunch, a pop-up brewpub event I was lucky enough to attend last weekend with Edna, Emily, and a few of our friends.

The lunch was Cajun-themed in honor of Mardi Gras, with three courses each paired with a delicious craft brew. Shrimp remoulade toasts, muffuletta sandwiches, and pimento cheese were served with light and crisp Saison Dupont. Then spicy (but not too spicy, for the Parisian palettes) jambalaya with Brooklyn Brewery’s EIPA, followed by beignets with chicory crème anglaise and my favorite beer of the day, Meantime Chocolate Porter. All for €30. Unheard of.

No joke: that chicory crème anglaise was so good that we straight-up drank it after the beignets were gone.

Sarah Savoy & the Francadians were on hand to provide some genuine bayou-flavored music. This was an excellent touch by the organizers. The music really gave the event a festive air, and you can’t really complain about a band where the lead singer’s willing to do shots of hot sauce with the chef.

(Note: as this was a pop-up event, I can’t really give you an accurate picture of what the bar is like on a normal day/night. However, as this seems to be a bastion of good brew, I’ll be back to report on its everyday offerings. You know, for you guys.)